is primarily known for being instrumental to the compilation of the Japanese text ''
Kojiki'' in 712. While birth and date are unknown, Are was active during the late 7th and early 8th century.
Background
Very little is known about Are's background. A passage in the ''Seikyūki'' (西宮記) suggests that Are belongs to the
Sarume-no-kimi family, who trace their ancestry back to the goddess
Ame-no-Uzume-no-Mikoto.
[Nihon Koten Bungaku Daijiten Henshū Iinkai (1986:1518)]
Scholars such as
Kunio Yanagita
Kunio Yanagita (柳田 國男, Yanagita Kunio, July 31, 1875 – August 8, 1962) was a Japanese author, scholar, and folklorist. He began his career as a bureaucrat, but developed an interest in rural Japan and its folk traditions. This led to a ...
and
Saigō Nobutsuna theorize that Are was a woman. Are was given the title of , which is typically a male title.
[Kurano (1958:46–47)] However, members of the Sarume-no-kimi family are renowned as shrine maidens to the court, a female institution. In addition, a number of passages within the ''Kojiki'' appear to have been written by a woman.
Kojiki
During the 7th century,
Emperor Tenmu set about to correct inconsistencies within the national history contained in the various ''
Teiki
The is a historical text purported to have been compiled in 681. The text is no longer extant.
Background
According to the '' Nihon Shoki'': On the seventeenth day, the emperor, residing in his place in the Daigokuden, commanded Prince Kawashima ...
'' and ''
Kyūji
, also known as and , is an ancient Japanese historical text. Its existence is recorded in the '' Kojiki'' which claims to have been composed based on its contents. No extant copies are known to exist anymore.
According to the '' Kojiki'' prefa ...
'' circulating with the nobles. He sorted through them and commanded Are, presently at the age of 28, to memorize them. Are was renowned for their intelligence: "naturally bright and intelligent, Are could recite upon reading but once and memorize upon hearing but once."
[Yamaguchi (1997:22–23)] Tenmu died before the work could be completed. Later,
Empress Genmei
, also known as Empress Genmyō, was the 43rd monarch of Japan, Imperial Household Agency (''Kunaichō'') 元明天皇 (43) retrieved August 22, 2013. according to the traditional order of succession. Genmei's reign spanned the years 707 throu ...
ordered
Ō no Yasumaro
was a Japanese nobleman, bureaucrat, and chronicler. He may have been the son of , a participant in the Jinshin War of 672.Philippi (1968:546)
He is most famous for compiling and editing, with the assistance of Hieda no Are, the '' Kojiki'', th ...
to compile the ''
Kojiki'' based on what Are had memorized. This was completed in 712.
Notes
References
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Japanese historical novelists
Japanese editors
Japanese women editors
Year of death unknown
Year of birth unknown
Deified Japanese people
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